The Show Must Go On
by geektressgalore
Summary: With the disappearance of her mother, Roxanne Lauffer must battle her way through the supernatural to uncover a heartbreaking plot that will change her life forever. She must recruit the most unlikely friends in order to survive. Rated M for violence and eventual romance. OC/(REDACTED FOR SPOILERS)
1. Prologue - The Point of No Return

Roxanne Lauffer's family life was never apple pie and cheesecake. It might have been at one point in her life, but that time has come and is long gone. The 26 year old woman had long since accepted that her father was dead, and there was no point in tears. For 5 years, she'd wondered how exactly he'd died, but never found out. She even went so far as to ask her mother, even though she knew she wouldn't know.

These days, she was content to chalk it up to a freak accident, though something in the back of her mind would always make her wonder. In the 10 years before her father died, he would hint at the existence of something more sinister in the world. It cultivated her interest in the occult. She began researching the supernatural. She wrote essays on the creatures she read about, and about the gods she began worshipping.

In a way, she felt she was honoring her new god. Loki represented wit, cunning, and magic. He was clever, daring, a bit of a trickster, and he had a way of getting out of almost anything. Reading more into his past, she began to feel a connection to him. Though she couldn't explain it, she felt she was honoring him through her research. She had no idea if any of these creatures existed. A rugaru just doesn't sound real. But the lore all matched up. She figured if there was even the slightest possibility that this whole new world was out there, she wanted to be prepared.

She had no idea what she was getting into.

She was in her apartment, writing her thesis on folklore and where certain myths came from when she got a call.

"Hello?" She was tired. She had been writing page after page on shapeshifters. The voice from the other end of the call seemed to drone on, and she was about ready to fall asleep. Then she began catching words. "Mother." "Accident." "Missing." Roxy almost dropped the phone. She didn't allow the man on the phone to finish what he was saying. She dropped everything she did and ran.

It was a 12 hour drive from her college to Tolono, IL where her mother was living. She made it in 8. Country roads that were not patrolled by squad cars were her best friend, and she knew the route well enough that she barely had to make any stops.

When she got there, there were barely any police officers there. This confused and infuriated Roxy. Why wasn't anyone there to examine the crime scene? It was 9 in the morning. Surely someone would be there by now, right? Unwilling to wait for anyone to let her in to her own house, she ducked under the crime scene tape and gasped at what she saw.

The living room was torn apart. There was definitely a struggle. She could see her mom's cane bent and abandoned on the ground. She continued to look around, to see if anything was stolen, or if anything was out of place. The only thing that caught her eye also churned her stomach.

She knelt down and picked up what looked like a piece of skin. She rubbed it between her fingers, and found that it was indeed skin. She almost gagged. This didn't make sense. Did the police not see this when they were there? Was it a part of her mom? And what was that smell of rotting eggs? It was like the smell of her father's old house had followed her mom to Tolono.

At once, it clicked. The paper she was writing. Shapeshifters. From everything she'd found, they shed their skin to take on a new form. But they couldn't be real. Could they? The proof was in her hands, and yet she was terrified to admit the truth. Everything she'd studied for 10 years was real. And something had her mom.

But sulfur was connected to demons. Not shifters. It had to be two things involved with this. But were they working together?

What she knew was certain was nearly undeniable, however crazy it sounded. After all, Sherlock Holmes always said "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the _truth." _This was the truth. Demons were out there, and shifters were assholes, and something had kidnapped her mom.

She ran to her old room and found her old collection of swords and knives. They'd do more good in her trunk than in the closet here. With the little grip she had left, she grabbed a container of salt as well. She was about to head for the door when a police officer was suddenly there, staring at her.

"Roxanne Lauffer?" he asked.

She was suspicious of this. A police officer wouldn't just assume this person was connected to the missing person. This was a crime scene, and she was stealing possible evidence. Oh my god, I'm stealing from my own mother's house. She had to push these thoughts out of her head and appear more collected. The police officer had to either be the demon or the shifter. There was no squad car outside, and they came in too noiselessly. She gulped and thought to her research. Following the logic of what she'd found at the scene, this had to either be the demon or the shifter. One way to know for sure without getting too close.

"C-Christo?"

The officer's eyes turned a pitch black and he growled at her. He tossed her to the side like she was a ragdoll. She hit the wall, knocking everything out of her grasp. As she slid to the floor, she coughed. That hurt a lot more than they let on on the movies. Before she could try to regain herself, the demon's hand closed around her throat, lifting her up with ease. Roxy had no idea what to do. All she could do was shove her knee between his knees.

It worked, to her surprise. He dropped her, allowing her to dart into her old room. She ran into the closet and locked the door behind her. Only now, she had nowhere to go. She started looking for anything she could use, and found a baseball bat. That would have to do. She readied herself as the demon tore the door off its hinges and came at her. She clenched her eyes shut, ready for whatever pain was about to happen, but nothing did. The demon had stopped short.

She glanced up at the ceiling and saw a pentagram. The devil's trap she'd drawn years ago. "Thank you, rebellious teenage years!" She breathed a sigh of relief and ran past the demon, grabbing her dropped collection of cutlery, as well as all the salt in the kitchen and all the jugs of water she could. She tossed it all into her trunk and sped off down the road.

Demons were real, and they wanted to kill her. Okay. This was something she could live with. She blinked when she realized that this was just like that book series she'd been obsessed with before it stopped publishing. Supernatural. If nothing else, those books might be a good start on how to survive if she was going to be a hunter.

Just until I find mom, she told herself. I'm not in the life to stay. I just want to find my mom and kill the bastard that took her. Deep down she knew she would never be able to go back to her old life, but she had to cling to the hope that she wouldn't die on the road somewhere.

Three full years later, she was still telling herself this, even as she warmed up another can of baked beans in the storage locker she'd made her base. She told herself this every night as she cleaned her guns and sharpened her swords. She told herself this every night as she laid her head down to sleep. She'd pray to Loki, the only one that seemed to answer her prayers, or even care that she was praying. She never found any sign of her mother, and the shifter's trail went cold. The demonic omens never yielded any connection to her mother's disappearance.

This hell would never end.


	2. Bad Moon Rising

The sound of screams pierced through the air in the humid night sky. Red hair swished about as a young woman looked for the source of the disturbance. She ran through the alleys, taking any shortcut she could toward where the victims might be. _'I could be too late,'_ she thought. She tried to push the negativity out of her mind. There was no time for it. Not now. Not when there was work to be done.

Roxanne Lauffer had been hunting whatever it was that was abducting women in the area. The creepy crawly didn't leave enough clues to pinpoint what it was, but the hunt had gone on too long. Any longer, and it would just head to another town. Like they had done for the last three towns. She was ashamed of herself for letting it go so far, but it had to be tonight. She brought a silver plated machete, two handguns with silver bullets, a flask of holy water, an iron baton, and a bag of salt. If she was going to need anything else, she could improvise.

She finally found the nest of vampires. _'Why did it have to be vampires?'_ As silently as she could, she reached behind her to unsheathe her machete. She peeked into the room most of the fangs were hiding in. This was the part that always seemed so easy in the movies. But she'd trained for this. She knew what she was doing, and she could do this.

She kicked down the door and took off the head of the closest vamp before running at the one leering over his next victim. Before she could get a swing in, another fang caught her off guard and held her by the neck. She let the syringe fall from her sleeve and shoved it straight into his neck before swinging at where the leader was. But he'd moved.

"Fuck." She looked around, but he was gone. For now. With this, she turned to the victim. "Did you drink any of their blood?" she asked. The terrified blond shook her head. "Then you're alright." Roxy cut the girl loose and let her run before searching the room. The head vampire, or what she assumed was the head vampire, was sneaky. But what boiled her blood was finding the dead bodies of those the fangs couldn't be bothered to turn. She gripped the pentacle necklace around her neck and muttered a prayer. She was going to need a hand getting these poor people out of here.

She pulled back the curtained to one of the sectioned off areas of the warehouse and nearly cried out with shock. The leader jumping out at her really caught her by surprise. He grabbed a hold of her neck and pinned her to the wall, grinning that obnoxious vampire grin. Roxy tried to make a witty observation, but found herself unable to breathe. For a second, though, she felt like she deserved this. She let her guard down, and that was a sure fire way to get killed.

"I'd love to have you for dinner," the vamp remarked, "but I've got orders. You're meant to be alive." Roxy looked confused. What orders? Did they come from the shifter? Well, that made no sense. Why would a shifter be giving a vampire orders? Her thoughts were cut short at the tightening grip on her throat.

She tightened her grip on her machete and kicked him off of her. He growled and flashed his fangs at her when he recovered from his stumble. She tried for another kick, but he caught her leg and twisted. She steadied herself on a nearby table and swung her other leg up to catch him in the head. Again, the vampire stumbled, but he recovered and swung a pipe into her side. She doubled over, unfortunately giving him just enough time to swing her into the wall again. He raised a fist, but the fist never connected with her face. A shocked expression over took the vamp's face shortly before his head rolled off his shoulders.

She quickly got over her relief at being alive by looking at the one that helped her.

"He should have quit while he was ahead!"

Roxy just stared. "Really, Loki? That's the pun you wanted to go with?" She used her sleeve to wipe the splatter of blood off of her face. "An entire world of decapitation related puns, and THAT'S what you go with?"

"What?" Loki looked almost insulted. "You called me here. You know bad jokes are what I do!" He wiped the blood off of his blade and pouted. "Like you could have come up with a better one on the spot."

"I did, but you ruined it. It's not funny anymore." Roxy busied herself trying to pick up the body to move it into a pile. To her relief, it looked like Loki already got started with the pile.

"No. You think you're funnier than me. Go for it."

Roxy dropped the body and picked up the guy's head. She looked at it before turning it to look at Loki. "He really lost his head back there, didn't he?" Loki didn't look impressed. "It was funnier before you built up the anticipation." She tossed the head back onto the body's chest and continued to drag it toward the pile. Once there, she spread some salt and lighter fluid onto the pile before lighting a match and letting the corpses burst into flames. She gathered her things and walked back to the alley, where Loki was already waiting for her.

"So, what does this experience teach us?" he asked in a more than condescending way.

"Don't let your guard down," she muttered. "I know. Just … I don't need this right now." She turned away and started the walk back to where her car was. Loki tried to follow her, but she wasn't listening. They were almost back to her car when he finally stepped in front of her to cut her off.

"What's wrong with you tonight?" he asked, sounding more angry than concerned. He realized that, but the damage was done. Roxy was at the end of her rope.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked. "What's WRONG with me?" She opened her trunk and dumped everything she was carrying. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me! I've been hunting for three straight years! Other hunters get a break, but me? No! I've been hunting the same damn thing for three damn years, and do you know what I have to show for it? My mom is still out there, I have no leads, no friends, no help, and I'm tired. I want to be done!"

"You want to leave the life? You can't! No hunter has ever left alive, and you know that!"

"I KNOW!" She slammed the trunk shut and glared at Loki. "I know I'm here to stay, and that's fine with me. But you know what I want? I want a night off. I want to go to a bar. I want to sit in my motel room and watch cable. I want to pretend for just a few hours that I'm a human being. Is that so much to ask?" She climbed into her car and turned it on, sitting for just a moment so she could calm down.

Loki was suddenly in the passenger seat, holding his hands up. "You want a night out. Fine. Go for it. But don't let your guard down." He looked at her. Not condescendingly, but with concern. "Please. Be safe. Don't fly off the handle and get into trouble."

Noting the concern in her god's voice, she nodded. "I won't. I'm irritated, but I'm not stupid." She paused, about to shift gears, and looked at Loki. "You take the night off too, okay? Obsessing about this job isn't going to do either of us any good." Loki chuckled and disappeared, leaving Roxy to turn the radio on and head back to the motel.

She quickly washed the smell of blood and fire off of her and changed her clothes. She still carried some nicer clothes, and she was glad she did. Jeans and t shirts got uncomfortable after a while. She grabbed one of her disguises; a gray A-line skirt, matching gray vest, purple satin top, with a pair of simple black heels. She was looking forward to her one free night, and she was going to go out feeling good. She had to remember that she was still a girl, after all. She suffered from low enough self-esteem, that she needed nights like this once in a while.

She didn't try to make much of an entrance when she got to the bar. She quietly sat at the only available stool, next to an admittedly attractive man in a nice suit. The man smiled into his glass of scotch and took a sip before looking at her. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked. _Oh good. He's British, too,_ she thought to herself.

Roxy was tired. She wanted her drink and she wanted to put her feet up. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood to accept a drink from a stranger. She looked at him, blue eyes appraising him, as though trying to assess whether she should feel complimented or insulted at the gesture. "Sir, I appreciate the gesture, but I have had a long day. Work is murder, life is Hell, and I'm really just looking to quietly drink and take a night off."

"So that's a yes, then?" He seemed to be poking a bit of fun at her, but also sounded genuinely interested in talking to her. "I know the look. You've had a rough day. I understand. Truly I do. I just thought perhaps you could do with a bit of kindness."

Roxy looked a little surprised. After a moment's thought, she chuckled and nodded. "Alright. You can buy me a drink. But only if you give me your name." She smiled, he smiled, and she extended her hand in friendly greeting. "Wednesday Addams."

He shook her hand and quirked his eyebrow at her. "I'm no expert, but that sounds a lot like a fake name," he said, unable to suppress the chortle bubbling up from his throat.

"I know," she said, her tone laced with laughter. "My parents watched a lot of TV. They swore up and down they'd name my sister Morticia, if they ever had another daughter. And if you don't believe that, then would you believe my parents were named Abigail and John?" The two of them shared a laugh and the man motioned to the bartender. "Now, wait a minute! I gave you my name. What's yours?"

"Oh! Forgive me, I thought I gave it to you! Gavin. Gavin Mitchell." He smiled a smile that made Roxy's heart flutter. She mused for a moment that it had been a while since she'd even thought about men, and how it was a nice change from her normal life.

The bartender came by and she ordered a scotch on the rocks, earning a quirk of an eyebrow from Gavin. "I think I was expecting you to order an expensive cocktail, or some such," he mused.

"Oh. Well, in that case, make it the best scotch you have!" She grinned and chuckled. "I never drink mixed drinks. It ruins the alcohol."

"An honorable choice, to be sure." When Roxy received her drink, Gavin raised his glass. "A toast?" When she rose her glass as well, he smiled that smile again. "To walking through hell and sod all those that stand in your way."

Roxy could appreciate that toast. "And to making new friends in the nick of time." They touched their glasses and took a sip.

This night to herself might prove to be the best decision she ever made.


	3. People Are Strange

It was a nice change of pace, having someone buy her a drink. The conversation wasn't bad, either. She appreciated Loki's presence in her life, offering her guidance on her hunt and teaching her how to survive. But it didn't beat this. It didn't beat normal interaction with people over a drink. Especially when the person she was drinking with was attractive and charismatic. Charismatic enough that she was wary, but she desperately needed a chance to unwind.

"So, Wednesday," he stared, setting his glass down.

"Oh, don't call me that," she said, almost annoyed. "Call me Wendy. It doesn't sound nearly as dorky." Gavin chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, Wendy. Answer me this: What do you do that makes your work such hell?" He turned on his stool to better look at her, appearing genuinely interested in her answer. Another rare quality to see in some guy she just met in a bar.

"Work is murder," she corrected jokingly. "Life is hell."

"That's right. I always get those mixed up." Gavin chuckled and smiled that annoyingly charming smile. "My work's the same way. Hence the incredibly strong alcoholic drink in my hand. What's your excuse?"

Bearing in mind that she was dressed nicely, the story formed itself as she spoke. A gift she'd learned from Loki. "I'm a student, actually. My dad died a while back, so I'm just getting back into school to finish my degree. I'm studying to be a photojournalist, so my first project needs to be big. I've been on the road for months collecting folklore from different areas."

"Why folklore?" he asked. So he WAS listening to her. That was interesting, and kind of a genuinely surprising moment for Roxy.

"It's just something I've always been interested in, and in some weird way I feel like I honor my dad's memory by basing my work on it." She shrugged. "Really, the only redeemable thing about this whole project is that I can find freelance work wherever I go. It's kind of nice. It's just enough to pay for shitty motels and gas, but that's what I get for living the life I do."

Gavin smiled and took another sip from his glass. "Well, my respect for you has gone up considerably since you sat down," he said, idly. As Roxy quirked her eyebrow, he set his glass down. "I'm on the road a lot, too. And most of the women I'll meet will just take the drink and walk away."

"Oh, so you DO offer drinks to all the strange women," she teased. "I was wondering." She took a sip from her own glass. "So, what do you do that keeps you on the road? A talent scout? Literary agent? Gun for hire?"

With the last suggestion, Gavin blinked. He couldn't help but laugh. "Now, what makes you think that?"

Roxy smiled smugly and crossed one leg over the other. "Possibly the fact that you're dressed like a hitman for the mafia, or that you haven't taken off your overcoat. But more than likely the 1908 Luger you've got in your right pocket."

Gavin's eyebrows raised, impressed that she knew he had a gun, as well as what kind it was. "Good eye."

"I have a knack, and an interest in firepower. My dad taught me before he died." She took another sip from her glass and set it on the bar. "It helps that my mom was a historian. The interest kind of cultivated itself." She shrugged and leaned on the bar. "So. What is it that you do for a living, Gavin?"

Gavin considered his words for a moment. "I'm a consultant." When Roxy scoffed, he chuckled. "I just got this big promotion at work, and I basically run the company while the big man's away. I'm working on a sort of revamp of the way things are done, so I like to do customers the courtesy of dealing face to face." He toyed with his glass in between his fingers, watching the liquid swirl around. "It seems, though, that no matter what I do, I can't make anyone happy. I don't know. Maybe it's me."

"I don't think so," she chipped in. She shifted in her seat, offering a reassuring smile to Gavin. "You've actually given me some of the best conversation I've had in ages." She put her hand on his, her smile widening cheerfully. "Most guys that offer me a drink don't listen to a word I say, and the girls are surprisingly worse. I really do appreciate that you are really listening. Thank you."

He smiled again, and took her hand in hers. His grasp was gentle and appreciative, regardless of how rough his hands felt. "No. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For the kindest words I've heard directed my way in years." He brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentlemanly kiss to her knuckles. This time, Roxy couldn't hide the blush that crept to her cheeks. Either Gavin didn't notice or he didn't care to embarrass her further. Either way, Roxy was grateful.

The bartender announced last call, Gavin paid, and he looked at Roxy. "So, Wendy, I have to ask. Do we want to continue this conversation? Or shall we part ways?"

She glanced at the clock and thought for a moment. "I don't think I realized it was getting so late, and I left my car at the motel." She looked at him and smiled awkwardly. "Do you mind walking me back? It's just a few blocks away, and I can give you a ride to wherever you're going."

_'Just met the man, know nothing about him, and you're inviting him back to the motel?'_ she heard in her head. She shook off the voice and concentrated on Gavin's reaction.

He just smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't mind that one bit," he said, offering her his arm. "Why don't you lead the way?"

The two of them began the uneventful walk back to the motel. Well, uneventful until they reached Roxy's car, parked in front of her room. She reached into her purse to look for her keys when she was grabbed from behind. She struggled until she felt a gun to her head. This wasn't covered in training. She was at a loss. Her mouth hung open in surprise, until she saw Gavin aiming his gun at the mugger's head. Roxy couldn't help but muse that it was an attractive Luger, though she realized this was the wrong time to be distracted by an antique like that.

"Put the gun down, or her brains splatter across the pavement," the man threatened. She worried for a moment that this was a vampire that escaped her earlier raid, and that Gavin was in serious danger. She couldn't have that. She kind of liked him. She didn't want the only good conversation she'd had to die in a motel parking lot. It was then she realized that a vampire wouldn't use a gun. _Oh great. __Standard idiot mugger got the drop on me. Loki will never let me hear the end of it._

But Gavin didn't look worried. His expression was surprisingly angry, yet cold. He narrowed his eyes at the man holding Roxy. "I don't think you've got the balls to do it," he said. "You're bluffing. I can see it in your eyes. You've never killed before. The gun may be loaded, but you're not prepared to pull the trigger." The smirk on his face suggested that he was right about the man. "Let her go, and I'll let you walk away."

The mugger threw Roxy to the ground, and all she could hear was a gunshot. She whipped her head up to see a fresh hole in Gavin's sleeve. Shortly after, there was another gunshot. The mugger fell to the ground, dead.

Gavin, instead of worrying about himself, rushed over to Roxy to check on her. She got to her feet and stared at him for a moment. It barely registered with her that he was asking if she was alright, or that he was checking her for a concussion. The fact that she risked her life every second of every day should have made this gesture seem insignificant, but he was essentially a stranger. He could have let her die, and he didn't.

She could barely control her next actions. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his in a heated kiss. She backed him against the door to her room and fumbled with the key to unlock it. Her entire world was a blur right now, and she loved it. What she loved even more was that he was kissing her back. She could feel his hands on her back, and it only made her more eager to get into the privacy of her room.

When she finally managed to get the door open, Gavin nearly stumbled, having lost what he was bearing weight on. He caught his footing and brought Roxy close again. She kicked the door behind her closed and pushed him onto the bed. She took her vest off and tossed it over her duffel bag, quickly kicking off her heels. Gavin sat at the edge of the bed and took off his overcoat, then his suit jacket. He tossed it to the side and pulled Roxy close again.

What followed was, more or less, a lusty, ecstasy filled blur, each of them fighting for control. In the end, the two of them were laying, sweaty and exhausted, in the bed. Roxy laid with her head on Gavin's chest, tracing lazy patterns into his skin through his chest hair. He smiled and looked at her fondly. "Do this for every guy that buys you a drink?" he teased.

"Only the ones that save my life," she replied lazily. "It doesn't happen as often as you'd think." She looked up at him and smiled. It was odd, but she felt remarkably comfortable in his arms. She'd had one night stands before, but this felt different somehow. It was oddly natural and familiar. Like they had known each other their entire lives. With this strangely comforting thought, she soon drifted off to sleep.


	4. Something Wicked Lurks

Through the night, Roxanne was plagued with nightmares. They were the same nightmares that had been haunting her for years. Always the same. She watched on as some faceless man beat her mother and dragged her away, leaving only a bent cane behind. This night, however, was different. It was only for a moment, but she could have sworn that she saw her father's face in the reflection that should have been her own, watching as the shifter worked. The reflection smiled before she was woken up.

She was dripping with sweat and trying desperately to catch her breath. She took notice that the bed beside her was empty. Not that she could blame Gavin for taking off. She got up and went through her morning routine of showering, brushing her teeth, and packing away her dirty clothes. Recently added to this routine was taking medication, and it was mornings like these that reminded her to do it. She heard a familiar, taunting voice and felt like her head was being stuck in a blender. She popped the pills and packed them away into her travel case.

She was halfway through dressing and about to reach for a clean outfit when she realized there was something in sight that didn't belong there. Gavin's overcoat. She could hear a key turn in the lock and, out of habit, hovered her hand near her knife as she watched the door open.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the sight of Gavin walking in with donuts and coffee. She blinked and tried to decide if she was dreaming. It was certainly a new experience for a one night stand to come back in the morning. She would have assumed it was because he forgot his coat, but why would he have taken the key? And why the hell would he be carrying drinks and donuts?

When Gavin noticed she was upright, he smiled. "I wasn't sure what you'd want to drink, so I got Earl Gray for myself, mocha latte, cappuccino, and something with Chai in the title." He raised the drink carrier, surprisingly comfortable with the fact that she was still in her underthings.

"Wow. You're really there," she accidentally said out loud. She bit her lip when she realized he could hear her and wondered exactly how he would take that. When he laughed, she relaxed. Her relaxation didn't last long when she suddenly felt a chill. She blushed darkly and quickly threw a button up shirt on to show some kind of modesty. "I wasn't expecting you to stick around," she admitted.

"I don't believe in leaving without saying goodbye," he said. "I wasn't sure when you'd wake up, so I brought breakfast. I thought it at least polite." He took a seat on the bed and held the box of donuts to her. "So, what do you want to drink?"

She smiled and fiddled with the cuff of her shit. Why did he make her feel so giddy? "Chai for me," she said, "since you had to claim the Earl Gray." She grinned looked at herself. "Do you mind?" She gestured to her lack of clothes and he nodded understandingly. She pulled out her pair of jeans and quickly dressed herself while Gavin saw to the drinks.

"Any cream or sugar?" he asked.

"God, no. Cream is for coffee. It's absolutely horrible in tea." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "A little milk and two sugars. Milk is in the mini fridge." She went back to buttoning her shirt, his mildly impressed look slipping past her attention. She turned around, now much more decent, and accepted the outstretched Chai tea, biting her lip as she tried to think of just the right thing to say.

Before she got a chance to say anything, Gavin spoke up. "I do apologize, but I really must go," he said. "I didn't want to be rude, and I thought you could do with a free breakfast." He smiled honestly, inspiring a smile from Roxy.

"I need to be hitting the road too," she said. "Thank you so much. For … well, everything I suppose." She raised her cup to him, but they stood in the same place. She got the feeling there was something else Gavin wanted to say, but since he was staying quiet, she decided to speak up this time. "Listen, I don't generally do this, but-"

"Would you like to exchange numbers?" Gavin blurted out. The two stood in silence for a few seconds before Roxy chuckled. She was glad to know they were sort of on the same page. "We're both on the road. I know it's kind of crazy, but it might be nice to have someone to share a drink with now and again."

"Hell, I owe you dinner for saving my life," she admitted. "I think I can spare my number." She smiled and took a sip of her tea before pulling her phone out of her purse.

They exchanged numbers before Gavin took a step toward the door. "How about this: We take a week or two to see to business. I'll be in Amarillo by then. If you're as interested in me as I am in you, meet me at the Coyote Bluff Cafe on Friday the 6th at 7. No obligation at all, of course. If you show up, we'll know. If you don't, we'll know."

Roxy thought for a moment, musing that it was almost thoughtful of this practical stranger to offer her a chance to gracefully change her mind. She smiled and nodded. "Friday the 6th at 7. Got it."

Gavin smiled and placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I hope to see you there, Wednesday Addams." He winked at her before collecting his coat and taking his leave.

Roxy stared after him, sighing almost happily. Until she heard a throat clear behind her. "Loki, I know what you're going to say. Just-"

She turned, but it wasn't Loki. It was a face she hadn't seen in years. Not since...

"Jace?"

Her old friend smiled at her and took a step toward her. "Good to see you making friends with shady stranger types," he said. Roxy finally realized his was the voice she'd heard the night before. "And I'm glad you remember me. Remember the last time we met?"

Roxy froze. She couldn't remember. Slowly, she shook her head. She was trying to process just how Jace could be standing in front of her. "You shouldn't be here," she said. "How are you here? I burned everything. You were cremated. You _can't_ be here!"

Jace offered a smile and stepped toward her again. "But I am. I might be dead, but you should know better than most that won't stop me." Roxy backed into the wall. Everything about this seemed wrong. "How's your search going?"

"For mom? Rotten. Surprised you don't know that," she said. "How long have you been watching me? I heard your voice last night."

"I've been watching for about a year now," he answered. "Why haven't you found her yet?"

"I'm sorry. I'm kind of trying to _live_ long enough to finish the damn job," she said. "And what do you care? She's _my_ mom!"

"_SHE WAS MY MOM TOO_," he shouted. Roxy covered her face as the mirror on the wall next to her shattered.

Then her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered quickly. She realized, however, she hadn't answered yet, and soon pressed the phone to her ear. "Charlie? Is there anyone in the area? I think I-" She looked around, but Jace was gone. She glanced at the mirror to see that there wasn't even a crack. Her confusion silenced her.

"Roxy? Is everything alright?" came the voice from the other side of the call. "You sound like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh, if you only knew," she said. She took a large swig from the cup in her hand and took a seat on the bed. "Nevermind. What's up?"

"Don't do this. What happened?" Charlie had a way of getting Roxy to want to talk, and she was more than happy to listen. "Was it another Man Faye?"

Roxy couldn't help but chuckle. "Close, but we can talk about it later," she said. "I found the nest. You were right. It was vampires. I owe you my Poison Ivy statue." She smiled, swearing she could hear her friend fist pump the air in excitement. "Don't get too excited just yet. The head vamp said he was 'under orders' not to hurt me. You know what that means?"

"We have a trail?" she asked excitedly. "Because I picked up some activity in Rhode Island. Reports of animal attacks in Pawtucket. Claw marks, teeth marks, basic creepy crawly stuff. But the fun part is what isn't published in the media."

"What? Animal attacks in a big city in Rhode Island of all places isn't cause enough for me to look into it?" Roxy joked. "What's it look like to you? Werewolf? Skin walker?"

"My money's on Vetala, actually. Do me a favor, though. Look at your map."

Roxy pulled her map out of her backpack and spread it out on the desk. "What am I looking …. for?" She saw what Charlie was referring to. "This attack is the fourth one on I95, going south. Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Could be," Charlie said. The sound of a keyboard clacking away could be heard as Roxy stared at her map. "Looks like this might just lead to something. Whether it's your shifter or not, this is something important."

Roxy grinned. "Charlie? I love you."

"I know," she said, cheekily. "Oh! And if I'm right, I want your copy of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter."

"Yeah, now you're dreaming," Roxy said. She hung up the phone and glanced over at the door. "Loki, we got another job!"

"And you're happy about it. What happened to wanting a break?" Loki grinned. He was glad she was excited about her job. It meant she wasn't about to give up.

"Why would I want a break? I'm finally catching a trail!" She threw the rest of her belongings into her bag and started to load herself up to carry things to the car.

"A couple of vamps and whatever-the-hell in Pawtucket and you think you've got a trail?" Loki picked up Roxy's computer bag and held the door open for her. "I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but seriously. I don't see a connection."

Roxy opened the trunk and dumped her suitcase, twirling her car keys around her finger. "I know. It's a stretch. But dammit, it's the most I've had all year. Whether or not it leads me to the shifter, you have to admit, it's a little weird that these attacks are following a right down I95. Weirder things have happened." She shrugged and closed the trunk once everything was packed up. She slid into the driver's seat and pulled down the visor, taking a moment to look at the faded picture of her mother she kept with her. "It might be nothing, but it's better than any leads I've had up to this point. I have to look into it."

Loki nodded. "I understand. I really do. Just... don't get your hopes up just in case it doesn't lead to your shifter." Roxy was silent for a moment, and Loki realized he probably wasn't helping her previously good mood. "On the plus side, at least you got a phone number!" he said. "What was the guy like?"

Roxy smiled again. "He was intelligent, witty, and I think I might make a trip to Texas in a couple of weeks." She grinned and started the car. It didn't take long to get started on the road to Rhode Island.


	5. Cannibal Buffet

Roxy opened the door to her motel, angrily tossing her duffel to the side as she threw her keys onto the table. She plopped down onto the bed, Loki close behind her to close the door.

"Didn't I tell you not to get your hopes up?" he asked in that annoying "I told you so" voice he perfected over the years. Roxy glared at him, fire practically burning in her eyes.

"How was I supposed to know the trail would go cold?" she asked.

"Because that's what your trails always do?"

Roxy jumped to her feet and clenched her fists. "I've been trying to find ONE monster for three years! Every lead I find ends up being nothing. Every trail I catch goes cold. All I'm left with is the feeling that the shifter that took my mom is just fucking with me, and I'm never going to catch him!"

"Then quit!" Loki managed to remain calm, even in the face of the human's rage. "Go home. Find that british guy and do something else with your life!"

"What am I supposed to do? Just let my mom die, if she's not dead already? Go back to school? Try to pretend the last three years never happened?" Her voice continued to rise as she was growing more agitated.

"Did I say it would be easy? Did you ever think that this would go according to plan?" Loki took a step toward Roxy and, when he was sure she wouldn't cut off his hand, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've lost too much to quit now, but you can't get angry every time something goes wrong. You know I'm going to support anything you do, but you have to decide if this is all worth it."

Roxy was about to open her mouth to say something, but she stopped short. She held a finger to her lips to shut Loki up before she walked around. Loki just stared at her.

"What are you-"

"Sh. Do you smell that?" While Loki stopped to think about just how ridiculous that sounded, Roxy examined the window sill. She found a yellowish powder near the lock on the window. She touched her finger to it and raised the substance to her nose. "Sulfur."

"Oh great. Demons now." Loki sighed and leaned against the wall. "So, does that mean you're staying with the job?"

"I don't see how I can quit now," she said. She sat on the bed and pondered the words Loki had said to her. She really had lost too much to quit. Too many friends had found their way to an early grave, if she quit now it would feel like abandonment. She sighed and looked at Loki. "So, what? Is it weird that a demon just happened to be in the room I would check into?"

"Well, there haven't been any demonic omens in the area, so whatever it was it didn't stay long." He snapped his fingers after a moment of thought and began to search the room. Roxy took the hint and searched around as well, checking under covers, in pillow cases, under the bed, drawers, but Loki found what the demon left. "How thoughtful of the motel. Free cable, complimentary mint, and your personal spying device." He held up an ancient looking coin for Roxy to see. "These are basically magical bugs. Whoever put this here wanted to listen to everything." With a snap of his fingers, the coin was gone.

Roxy stared. "So are you telling me demons are out to get me too?"

"You're a hunter. You're going to be targeted. Especially if you're after something." The two of them checked the entire room, looking for anything else before they decided they were safe. "Maybe you'd better check things in the area again. Just to be on the safe side."

Roxy pulled out her laptop and did a quick search. Sure enough, there was something odd in the news. "Well, there's not a lot of detail, but there have been a string of murders in the area. Not the animal attacks that Charlie was seeing, but I think it might be worth looking into."

"Well, hot damn. Maybe a change of topic might help you." Loki smiled and tossed Roxy her keys. She reached into her duffel to pull out a prescription bottle. Loki felt his heart drop in worry. She only took those medications when something was irreparably wrong, but he knew she wouldn't talk about it until it was too late. For now, she had other things to worry about.

Roxy took the series of three medications before pulling out a nicer outfit and putting it on. Pairing her gray skirt suit with a pair of simple black heels, she walked back to her car and drove to the police station. It kind of felt nice to be working a job that wasn't as high stress, as odd a concept as that was for her job description.

She pulled into the police station and fished out an FBI badge before heading inside. It didn't take much persuasion to get her back to the morgue. When the mortician finally came in, she offered him a smile and flashed her badge. "Hi there. Agent Knightley. I'm here about the recent string of murders."

The mortician glanced at the badge and shrugged, setting his lunch to the side. "Murders happen all the time. What makes it FBI business?" he asked.

Roxy smiled a little bit brighter and adjusted the collar on his lab coat. "Dr. Jameson, murders don't happen HERE all the time. In fact, records show that your usual average is about twenty a year. Not ten in two weeks."

The man returned the smile and straightened his cuffs before looking at her again. "You have a fair point. The murders have been weird, too. I think it might be some kind of serial killer." He moved toward one of the drawers while Roxy took a second to glance over any important details of the room.

"What makes you think that? Besides the short space of time the murders have taken place in?"

One by one, Dr. Jameson opened the drawers to pull out bodies with their heads cut off. Some had heads that had been found, others didn't. That alone gave Roxy two ideas to what she was dealing with. He looked at her. "All of these people went missing before they turned up headless," he said.

Roxy thought for a moment and put on a pair of latex gloves. "Do you mind?" With the doctor's permission, she began examining the stumps of the necks. After examining the bodies that had been shown to her, she took the gloves off and disposed of them. "Was there anything odd you found about the bodies?"

"Aside from the missing heads? Actually no. Usual signs of struggle, lining up with any murder victim. Some bruises, scrapes, all taking place before the time of death." He shrugged. "If you ask me, we have some kind of weirdo walking around."

Roxy nodded and thought for a moment. "Is it possible to get a list of every person still missing from this town?" she asked. "If this psycho is kidnapping people, there might still be a chance to catch him."

"Sure. I think I can do that."

"I think that's all I needed," she said. She extended her hand to shake and offered another smile. "Thank you for your time." She excused herself, collected the records she was promised and began to head back to her car.

As she passed Loki on the way out of the building, she unbuttoned her jacket. "Ghouls," she said. "I'm almost sure of it. They're being killed left and right." She unlocked her car and climbed inside, Loki following suit.

"What makes you so sure it's ghouls? Decapitation? It could also be vampires." Loki tapped his pack of cigarettes against his leg before grabbing one with his teeth and lighting it with his thumb.

"Vampires don't go missing years before they're found dead. That kind of thing only happens with ghouls." Roxy snatched one of the cigarettes and lit up, frowning. "The question is, who's killing them?"

"If it's ghouls being killed, is that really something we should concern ourselves with?" Loki asked. "I mean, sounds like someone's doing your job for you."

"I know, but it doesn't feel right." She thought for a moment before turning the car on to head back to the motel. "We'll look through the records and see who might be next. If someone's after ghouls, we'll be on the same trail. Maybe I can find out what's going on before he strikes again."

They'd gone back to the hotel and researched until the sun went down. Roxy had taken the time to change back into jeans, a tank top, her leather jacket, and combat boots. She made sure her shotgun was cleaned well enough and holstered her machete, making sure to keep her dagger in her boot and a handgun holstered on her hip.

She drove to the cemetery and looked around for any grave disturbances. When she saw a flashlight dancing around from behind her, she grabbed her pistol and aimed it at the man approaching. He also had a gun aimed at her.

"You a hunter?" he asked, the light from the flashlight casting his face in shadow. Roxy tried to squint to see past the light, but she couldn't.

"That all depends. What are you doing in the cemetery past visiting hours?"

The man laughed and lowered his flashlight, stepping into the light to show his face. "Same thing as I'm assuming you're doing. You here because of the ghoul infestation?"

Roxy lowered her gun when the man in front of her did, but didn't crack a smile. "I'm just passing through, from the Vetala attacks in Pawtucket."

"That was you? I heard about that! Nice work!" He stepped closer to Roxy and reached out to her to shake her hand. "Charlie Hutton."

Roxy stared at him for a long while before hesitantly shaking his hand. "Roxy Lauffer."

With her hand in his, he gripped tightly, pulled her close, and held a knife to her neck, causing her to yelp a bit with surprise. "Listen here. This is my hunt. You want to bag some ghouls, do it somewhere else. This is my job. So stay out of it, and get out of here."

Roxy couldn't help but stare at him. Was he for real? She thought for a moment that this was a joke, but she slowly realized it wasn't. She ripped her hand from his grasp and took a quick step back. "Don't worry about it. I got all I need." She holstered her gun and quickly left the cemetery. She walked past Loki on the way to the car, and he looked concerned.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"That was the psycho that's been killing the ghouls," she said. Without another word, she drove back to the motel and huffed as she plopped back down onto the bed. In an effort to avoid getting up, she undid her belt and holsters and tossed them into the chair near the bed. What she didn't expect was a surprised noise from that direction. She slowly looked up and saw one of the faces from the missing person's file.

She leapt up and pulled the dagger from her boot, only freezing when she realized the person looked terrified.

"Please! I just want help!" she said, holding her hands up and over her face. She shakily looked at Roxy as the hunter showed her putting the knife down.

"Explain. Start with how you got in here." Roxy, keeping an eye on the stranger, poured two glasses of water, handing one to the scared girl. "What's your name?"

The girl accepted the water and took a sip of it. "My name's Sarah. I followed you from the graveyard." She looked sheepishly up at Roxy. "I thought that if that other hunter wanted you gone, you might be willing to help me."

Roxy took a seat and gestured for Sarah to do the same. "What do you need help with? Are you one of the missing persons? Or..."

"A ghoul? … Yeah. I promise, though, she was dead when I found her." Sarah sat in the chair and gulped. "My family and I... We only feed off of the dead. We never hurt anyone. I like humans. I … I could never kill anyone."

Roxy bit her lip and touched Sarah's knee, trying to comfort her. "Does it help to know I know how you feel?" she asked. "What do you need me to do?"

Sarah looked surprised that Roxy was willing to help. "I just need to get away. I'll move to another town. I'll feed off of the dead. You won't ever have to come look for me. Just … please. That man killed my entire family. I just want to live."

Roxy glanced to the corner of the room to see Jace again, shaking his head. She frowned at him and returned her gaze to Sarah. "I'll help you," she said.

Sarah nearly burst into tears. It almost seemed as though she'd never been helped before. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I'll find some way to repay you. I swear!"

They weren't given the opportunity to continue the conversation. The door burst open and Charlie aimed his gun at Roxy. "What? You're giving monsters shelter now?" His eyes narrowed dangerously as he cocked his gun. "I thought you were a better hunter than that, with the stories I've heard."

Roxy slowly stood and returned the glare. "Relax. I was just heading out of town." She gripped her pentacle and kept her eyes on the hunter. "I said I'd stay out of your hunt. Do you see me killing any ghouls here?"

"No. I just see you promising to help one." When Roxy took a step toward him, he raised his gun slightly, ready to fire.

She weighed her odds and ducked down quickly, sweeping Charlie's feet from under him. As he fell to the ground, she grabbed his gun and popped the magazine out. "RUN!" she shouted to Sarah. As the ghoul ran from the room, Roxy punched the hunter in the nose.

He grabbed her wrist and kicked her off of him. He picked himself up and laughed darkly. "You know, once I'm done with you, I'm going to hunt that bitch down and kill her like the animal she is," he said. He kicked Roxy in the ribs, grabbed her by the hair, and shoved her into the wall. Roxy grunted in pain and clutched her side.

"You're insane," she managed to chuckle.

"That's rich, coming from you," Jace said, still watching everything that was going on. "Helping a ghoul? Really?"

Roxy frowned and tried to ignore him. Charlie didn't seem to see Jace, because he didn't react. The hunter just punched her in her injured ribs and kneed her in the stomach, causing her to double over and cough. He gripped her throat and slammed her back into the wall. "She's a monster. She deserves to be killed."

"She wasn't hurting anybody," she wheezed, trying to loosen his grip on her throat. It didn't work to her advantage. "She's innocent. She doesn't deserve death."

Charlie smiled darkly and chuckled again. "That's where you're wrong. She's a monster. We kill monsters. Nothing to it." His grip on her tightened, closing off her airway. "It's not like she's got any family or anything to live for, right?"

"No family? Nothing to live for? Sound familiar, Roxy?" Jace smirked from his place in the corner.

"In fact," Charlie went on, "I was going to give her a quick death, but seeing you try to defend her? I'm going to kill her nice and slowly."

The quip about Sarah's family set her off. There was fire in Roxy's eyes. She brought her knee up to Charlie's groin, squeezed on the pressure point in his wrist, and wrenched his hand away from her. "I'd say I'd kill you if you touch one hair on her head, but let's be real. You wouldn't take me seriously if I let you leave here alive." She kicked him away from her and grabbed her knife.

He grabbed her arm and kicked her in the stomach again. He grabbed her neck again, but she knocked his arm away and headbutted him. As he stumbled back, wiping the blood from his nose, he glared at her. "Why help her?" he hissed.

"I don't know. I have a soft spot for orphans and broken things," she said. When he rushed her again, she stabbed him in the stomach. Glaring into his shocked eyes, she twisted the knife sharply. "After all. Monsters like you all deserve to die, don't they?" With that, she sliced upwards and pushed Charlie away. She stepped over his motionless body to quickly gather her things.

"Killing humans now?" Jace asked, kneeling to examine the bleeding hunter. "Seems a bit cold, even for you. Don't you think?"

"You know what? SHUT UP!" she shouted, gripping her dagger tightly. "Why do you care? It's not like YOU did anything to help!"

"Why should I help? You remember what happened, don't you?" Jace stood, as calm as ever, slowly approaching Roxy.

"SHUT UP!" Roxy threw the knife at him and closed her eyes, opening them to find Loki staring at her from the doorway.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I heard your call." He looked at the knife embedded in the wall and the dying hunter on the floor. "Did I miss cocktail hour?"

Roxy looked at where Jace had been, confused for a moment, before grabbing her duffel and knife from the wall. "Come on. We're getting out of here. We're sleeping in the car tonight."

Loki glanced back at the body before snapping his fingers to wipe all evidence of Roxy from the room. He followed her out to the car, trusting her to explain later. "So, what's the plan?"

"Get as far away from here as possible and try to find out who left that coin in my room," she said. She froze for a moment before sighing and hitting her head against the steering wheel. "Oh no."

"What?"

"I almost forgot. I have a date in Amarillo in two days." Roxy took a moment to decide which was more important: Finding out who was trying to track her, or meet up with some guy she met once.

It didn't take her long to decide. Amarillo it was.


End file.
